The April 20 walkout in protest of gun violence was met with calls from both parents and students for the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools to make the absences from class “excused.” Many parents called into the attendance offices at Plymouth-Canton Educational Park to excuse their children’s absences after missing class to protest.

Through the online PCCS forums, critics contend that the students have a First Amendment right to speak their mind, and by providing a punishment for attending the walkout, however small, the district is effectively curbing free speech.

We argue that the district was correct in leaving the absences unexcused, and would have undermined the significance of the movement by doing otherwise.

The purpose of a walkout is to show discontent with an issue by refusing to attend class.

The concept is rooted in the philosophy of civil disobedience, pioneered by Henry David Thoreau and elaborated on by Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. The idea is that by refusing to comply with laws in protest of a problem, one shows how meaningful the issue is.

The punishment received for violating the law is the sacrifice made for the advancement of the cause.

Without the punishment, there is no sacrifice. Without sacrifice, protesters are unable to show their dedication to positive change.

Had the district excused the protestor’s absences, they would have effectively made the walkout a school sanctioned event, robbing it of all symbolic and emotional impact. Not to mention the ethical problems posed by the school district essentially taking a side on a political issue.

The parents that called their children out of class, while likely well meaning, taught a counterintuitive lesson: things aren’t worth fighting for if there are consequences.

The school district went out of its way to make sure the protest was conducted in a safe manner by asking for additional police presence, informing teachers not to interfere and sending in their Communications Director, Nick Brandon, to the scene to make sure all was going smoothly.

PCCS acted in a way that dodged any ethical and/or legal trouble its walkout policy could have caused.

Despite the criticisms, by providing a consequence for participation, the district did more to help the cause then hurt it.